Summer Gardening

20/02/2013

How do you get the garden back into shape after the summer heat - if you're faced with brown lawns, burnt plants - dead pot plants - what can be saved and how? Do you need to re-think your garden design?

The recent heatwave days have been tough on some plants. Even heat-loving tropical plants can suffer on such days. Their lush leaves can be literally sunburnt, and, because they come from high rainfall areas, their systems aren't equipped to take up and move through water at a rate that compensates for the evaporation from their leaves. Hence, there is lots of damage to be seen on plants like tibouchinas and bromeliads. Take a walk around your garden and take a note of which plants have been most affected. Also, check for situations where similar plants have fared better than others. For example, I have two pots filled with New Guinea impatiens that usually love this time of year. One is classed as 'self watering' - i.e. it has a water storage area in the base. I was never a great fan of these self-watering pots but I've been astonished at how well that plant has stood up to the heat and dry when compared to its neighbour. Such observations can help you select and provide conditions that might get plants through the next heatwave. Deciduous plants with tender leaves can suffer badly on super hot days. Japanese maples and magnolias can be scorched. They have evolved in cool mountain areas that never see such high temperatures. New growth, too, that hasn't hardened off, is vulnerable. Any sort of temporary shade - a cheap beach umbrella or an old towel thrown over stakes, can provide temporary protection. Even though it's ugly, it's usually best to leave damaged foliage for the time being. It will provide some protection for lower growth if we get another heatwave. Water well, keep the root system mulched and fertilise with an organic plant food when new growth appears. Prune back in autumn, when, hopefully, there's less risk of forty-plus days.